Bullish: Ladies and Gentleman, your 2006 Red Bull New York?
Josh Simeone, Sports Network Soccer Editor
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - So long MetroStars, it seems we hardly knew you... You seemed like fun, an interesting mix of city identity set to the backdrop of black and red stripes.
You offered us with the idea of the fast paced, metro lifestyle found in New York City. When we thought of the name MetroStars, we envisioned New York, even though your fans had to trek to the Jersey turnpike to see you play.
But so what? The location didn't matter. It was your identity that we came to embrace. Your name represented your home town. For a while, you had us believing you could represent both New Jersey and New York, and when that changed, we accepted it.
And even though you never brought the fans a championship, and you rarely made it to a final game, you at least tried. You made some big signings in your day, remember the time you brought us Roberto Donadoni from Serie A, Italy's top division? How about when you executed the first three-player trade in league history, remember, you brought U.S. National star Alexi Lalas to the Tri-State area.
It wasn't all a pleasure cruise though, you had trouble with coaches, losing streaks and you always traded away some of the team's favorite players.
We got over that stuff, because overall, it was about the sport that we loved. And even though you lost to the New England Revolution in last year's playoffs, we were still looking forward to a bright and successful 2006 season.
But now, we don't even know who you are anymore. Suddenly, this energy drink has come into our lives, forcing us to say goodbye to the name we've come to love for nearly 10 years.
Yes, we're happy that you are moving on, and we're thrilled that Red Bull has pledged to help build a soccer-specific stadium, but some of us are worried that your identity will be lost forever. We're not sure how to chant for Red Bull New York (let's go Red Bull... New York, or something?)
But we're going to look for the positive in this change, because that's what we've done all along. We've gotten used to the fact you haven't been the best team in the league, and we've gotten over all the personnel changes. So with that in mind, we're ready to bid you farewell, MetroStars. We shall not meet again.
THEY LOOK TO YOU, RED BULL - WHY THIS IS A GOOD MOVE
Thursday morning was more than just a simple press release, it was a historic announcement for one of Major League Soccer's original teams. After months of speculation, Austrian-based Red Bull Company Limited officially made an appearance in America's soccer market.
The company, best known for its sports energy drink, announced it had finalized an agreement with Major League Soccer to take over the east coast club. The partnership allows Red Bull 50 percent ownership in the new stadium, as well as naming rights.
In addition to taking over, Red Bull also announced it would join Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), the team's former investor-operator, to build a new soccer-specific stadium. The new venue would make Harrison, New Jersey its new home, forcing the club to say goodbye to its current home at Giants Stadium.
The deal also includes a brand new name, logo and jerseys for the team formerly known as the MetroStars. Red Bull New York has been deemed the club's new name, with a logo already released, which surely not by accident includes two bulls, much like the energy drink's logo.
Many aspects of this new deal are great for the MetroStars, a team that has consistently missed out on success in the league.
Perhaps the biggest and best part of the new ownership is the promise for a new stadium. Playing at Giants Stadium is no picnic for an MLS soccer club. The 80,242 seat complex is known throughout the sports market as one of the country's best venues, but it hasn't been great for soccer.
Playing home to both the New York Jets and New York Giants of the NFL, there is little room for scheduling additional events. This has been a league wide problem for MLS, as the regular season schedule seems to take a back seat to other league schedules. Not to mention the condition of the playing field, which must deteriorate after even a single NFL game.
For Major League Soccer, Giants Stadium is probably too big, and too hard to fill right now. Yes, soccer continues to gain momentum, but let's not go overboard. Too many empty seats can take its toll.
The new ownership also brings the opportunity for a fresh start. The MetroStars haven't necessarily had a negative past, but it hasn't been the best, with frequent coaching changes, and of course, a trophy case that is clearly missing a league cup.
Playing in brand new jerseys, a new name and logo may spur some excitement among the players and the fan base. If anything, sales on jerseys, soccer balls, caps and whatever else the team markets are sure to rise.
Red Bull New York could also benefit from the experience Red Bull has in the worldwide sports market. In addition to owning Austrian soccer club Red Bull Salzburg, Red Bull has also invested in Formula One racing and NASCAR.
"Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz brings international credibility and proven, innovative marketing expertise to Major League Soccer. His presence on the MLS Board of Governors provides another authentic, avid soccer fan to our diversifying set of investors," MLS Commissioner Don Garber said during Thursday's announcement.
The experience could help to improve the club's fan base and overall appeal, something that any MLS team would greatly benefit from.
ANYTHING BUT BULLISH - WHY THIS IS A BAD MOVE
Sure, there are plenty of good things about this deal, but what about the bad things? The negative effects this deal could have on Major League Soccer seem overshadowed, but they are there waiting to spoil every aspect of this new ownership.
While introducing a major sports drink company into the league will no doubt incorporate new marketing strategies and ideas, it also threatens to wash away a team's pride and identity.
Some fans may have raised their eyebrows over the name MetroStars, but at least it was an original name that was supposed to represent the hometown. Even the Houston Dynamo, which is the old Houston 1836, works better than Red Bull New York. Beyond the controversy surrounding the Houston name change, at least Dynamo was meant to have some relevance to Houston.
But Red Bull New York? This blatantly takes away from the home team pride. Who can honestly relate to Red Bull New York? One of the most important things about naming a sports franchise in any sport is the name of the team. A team name needs to be one that sells, and one that can relate to the hometown fans.
Even if a name is historical, at least it references the hometown to some degree. Take the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League for example. The team name references a historic event, the 1849 gold rush in California. The 76ers in the National Basketball Association reference the year 1776, when Philadelphia was the center of politics in the United States.
But with Red Bull New York, the only thing even remotely significant are the words New York, which are technically inaccurate, as the team plays in New Jersey. Even the logo has conveniently thrown out any hometown presence. Instead of a nice logo of buildings, or something that resembles a city skyline, or even a New York type theme, the new owner has decided to go with two bulls. If anything, the new logo has gone from one of personality, to one boasting an advertisement.
THE FUTURE OF COMPANY AND SPORT
Regardless of the positive and negative aspects the new Red Bull deal has to offer, one can't help but think of the future of some of the world's biggest companies and their relationship with the world of sports.
Thursday's Red Bull takeover isn't the first corporate move into sports and won't be the last. The world of business has held an interest in becoming a major player in the sports market for a long time.
Look around sports and you'll find stadium names that no longer represent the town they reside, but the company that has outbid all others for naming rights. Look inside some of the country's biggest venues and you'll notice that it's either Coke or Pepsi, Nike or Adidas, Verizon or Cingular.
Yes, businesses bring money to teams and allow for bigger and better stadiums but they also bring controversy. The final year of construction of the new Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado brought along an outcry from Denver fans after it was revealed that the new venue name would not include the words Mile High.
Fans became so upset that the name was changed to include Mile High, making it Invesco Field at Mile High. How about Coors Field just a few miles away, or the Pepsi Center in downtown Denver?
After Thursday's announcement, the naming rights have gone beyond just the stadiums. What's next, Dr. Scholl's Presents the Columbus Crew? Who's "gellin'" now?
It isn't just a name, it's something that represents a team and its home, and if Red Bull's takeover is to reveal any lesson, perhaps it's that corporate ownership may bring along a new stadium, but it might cost you your identity.
SO LONG METROSTARS
So with that, goodbye MetroStars. We shall miss your name, your colors and your logo. But now it's time to move on. So if you were a MetroStars fan, then take a deep breath and open a can of Red Bull, because it may be all you have for now.